A moment of weakness
by vfoxy
Summary: an alien device brought back to the SGC has serious repercussions for Cam
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Stargate SG1 and all associated characters and placed belong to MGM. No infringement on trademarks or copyrights is intended. This is for entertainment purposes only. So enjoy!!

**Spoilers: **None

**Pairings**: Sam/Cameron

**A/N**: This is my first fanfiction so my characterization might not be spot on. Please review, constructive criticism welcome.

"Come on Sam, breath!! Cameron Mitchell pumped her chest and blew air into her mouth. She'd been underwater for too long. Cam continued the CPR; it felt like an eternity and the more seconds that ticked by the further she slipped away from him.

Just as he'd almost given up hope, Sam coughed up some of the water in her lungs and was breathing on her own.

In a moment of weakness Cam kissed her, relief mixed in with suppressed passion. Breaking off the kiss he held her tightly against him, whispering, "You've no idea how much I love you Sam, God I nearly lost you. Don't ever do that to me again!!"

Still in shock, Sam slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

Sam opened her eyes and quickly closed them again. This time she opened them more gradually, allowing them to adjust to the lights of the infirmary. Pulling herself up steadily she looked around her and found herself to be alone. Glad for the chance to gather her thoughts, she tried to remember what had happened.

Closing her eyes she saw herself and Cam trying to draw the enemy away from the gate. Whilst running and trying to avoid weapons fire she tripped and fell into the river. She rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers, concentrating, but for the time being she couldn't recall anymore.

"Col. Carter, I'm glad to see you're awake," Startled Sam opened her eyes and watched Dr. Lam flipping through her medical chart at the foot of the bed.

"Thanks Carolyn, what happened?" Sam asked her hoping she would be able to fill in the gaps.

"You fell into the river and got pulled under. You're lucky Col. Mitchell was able to pull you out and revive you in time.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"A couple of hours," Realizing that Col. Carter would try to leave the infirmary prematurely, she quickly added, "You were under water for quite a while Colonel, I suggest you get plenty of rest, Doctors orders."

Not feeling up to arguing with the doctor, Sam drifted off to sleep.

_She watched herself trip over a ground root as she ducked to avoid the last shot aimed at her. The sloppy ground was slippery and she couldn't stop herself from falling straight in to the river. She heard Cameron yell out her name before she was sucked under. Pinned down by debris she struggled to free herself. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't get free. Her lungs were burning, screaming for oxygen._

_She found herself praying and trying to accept her fate, when a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her out. She felt a huge pressure being eased of her chest as she wakened, coughing and spluttering the remaining water out of her lungs. Through blurry vision she saw a relieved and a wet Cameron smiling down at her. She tried to smile back but her muscles were frozen in place, with exhaustion creeping in she closed her eyes. She felt his touch, his lips on hers. She felt her body being held tightly against his, as she relaxed into him._

_Through the haze that was in her brain she realized that she had never felt so safe and protected in her life as she did then. Giving into the exhaustion that beckoned she heard him whisper, "I love you…"_


	2. Chapter 2

Fully awake Sam sat up in shock, "Oh my God!"

One of the nurses rushed over, "Col. Carter are you okay?"

Sam looked at her apologetically, "I'm fine, and sorry I just need to get out of here!" Throwing aside the covers she grabbed her uniform, changing in record time she left the infirmary without looking back.

Picking up a dish of blue jello and a sandwich, Sam chose a table at the back of the cafeteria and sat down. She didn't want to be disturbed as she put her thoughts together.

Sam was reeling from her newfound knowledge. I thought I imagined it – a near death hallucination. Cameron in love with me? Since when? And why am I pleased at the thought?

Switching off to everything that was going on around her she looked internally. She needed to analyse her own feelings towards Cameron – and she did have feelings for him, that much she knew.

She had to admit that when Cameron had first put the team together, it had been hard to integrate him in. Only because Teal'c, Daniel and herself had worked together for so long and had been through so much that sometimes she got the feeling that they knew each other better than they knew themselves.

She loved Daniel and Teal'c like brothers. She would die for them, they were her best friends and whose loyalty and friendship she could count on no matter what. They were her family.

It had been over a year now since SG1 had reassembled. Though they were of equal rank, Cameron did take the lead on most missions with her full support. He brought a new dynamic, a new strength and insight to the team. They had been on many off world missions, most of them dangerous. There had been times when they'd all thought that this might be the end. No matter what the situation was that they found themselves in, for some reason her first concern was always him. She'd always keep an eye on him; watch him, making sure he was alright- watching his back.

Smiling to herself, she admitted that on more than one occasion her eyes did wonder to his butt. Laughing quietly she thought that it was a great butt.

Cameron also had a tendency to get into trouble, whether it was touching something that he shouldn't or taking risks always without a thought towards his own personal safety if it meant saving lives.

When they were alone they would flirt with each other and she would very much enjoy their banter. Looking back- there were sparks, chemistry between them.

What could she say about Cameron Mitchell? He'd become one of her closest friends, she admired him and respected him and she…

Suddenly it was like a naquada bomb had gone off inside her as the realisation hit her hard and fast.

She loved him too. She didn't know how or when but heaven help her she did.

Cameron made his way towards the infirmary after leaving Vala with Daniel and Teal'c. He was glad to have her out of the way for a while. He liked Vala but sometimes she was a little too much and right now he didn't have the energy or patience for her.

He walked quickly not wanting to be stopped. Daniel had mentioned that Sam was awake and resting. He wanted to see her, hell he needed to see her.

She'd scared the living daylights out of him when he saw her fall into the river. However, she nearly killed him when she took so long in responding to the CPR. He remembered watching her trip, tumble down the steep slope and fall in. He recalled vividly how his heart thumped so hard that he could almost feel it jump out of his chest and try to follow her in.

Not giving it a second thought he had jumped in after her. The iciness of the water shocked his system but the urgency to find Sam overrode everything.

Once in the river he had frantically searched the surface but there was no sign of her. Diving into the murky depths, he turned his flashlight on and a few metres deeper he saw her pinned down. Swimming as fast as the current would allow him he watched her struggling. He couldn't hold his breathe for much longer, wrapping his arms around a still Sam he pulled her free. Using all the energy he had left and sheer will he managed to drag them both to the surface and to the riverbank.

He could hear the rest of the team calling out to them but he didn't bother answering – Sam wasn't breathing.

Even the thought of it now sent shivers throughout his body; he rubbed his hands over his face in an effort to control his emotions.


	3. Chapter 3

"Col. Mitchell? Col. Mitchell?"

Hearing his name, he pulled himself out of the memory and stopped.

"General?"

"I've just come from seeing Vala. I wanted your opinion on the Alorans."

Walking side by side, Cameron filled him in, "It looks promising General. We didn't stay long. The villagers didn't want to say too much without the leader present. But from what we observed, I think there are possibilities of trade and an introduction to the Bo'Rak- if all goes well. Their leader, Fariq, won't be back for a couple of days, but I've got the feeling that any negotiations will be lengthy but rewarding. SG12 shouldn't come across any problems, they seem like good folks."

"Good. Now, Colonel I want you to get something to eat and get some sleep. You look like you need it!" General Landry patted him on the back as they stopped outside the infirmary.

"Thanks General, I'll do that." Cameron waited for him to enter the elevator before he set foot in the infirmary. He felt guilty for not being there when she woke up but as soon as Dr Lam had finished his post mission medical, he wanted him and Vala to meet with the Alorans, a people who could provide an introduction to the powerful Bo'Rak- a possible ally against the Ori.

There was no sign of Sam in the infirmary, on a hunch he went to the cafeteria. He spotted her in the corner on her own. She looked good, damn good, despite her ordeal he thought to himself as he made his way to her.

Sam looked up at the same time he saw her, their gaze met and she flushed. Her pulse quickened, her stomach flipped and she felt sick with nerves, "Get a grip girl, it's only Cameron. Act normal, smile, and pretend everything's fine!" She chided herself while at the same time wiping her sweaty hands on her pants.

As he sat down opposite her, she took the opportunity to have a good look at him. _He looks tired and drained, _at that moment she wished she could reach over and touch him.

"How you feelin'?" Sam could hear the deep concern in his voice. She looked into his eyes and held his gaze. Everything she needed to know, wanted to know was there for her to see. His eyes told her everything and what she saw broke her heart…_why didn't I notice this before?_ Sam looked around the cafeteria they were alone. Cameron followed her gaze and looked back at her questioningly. With the knowledge of his love for her boosting her confidence, Sam reached over and caressed his cheek. She heard him take a deep breathe in and with their eyes still connected, he leaned into her touch, eyes sparkling with hope and desire.

"Sam…?"

As other air force personnel began to enter the cafeteria Sam pulled away, breaking contact.

"Cam we need to talk," speaking quietly. She could see he was still trying to absorb what had just happened between them, "but not here."

"Yeah, we definitely need to talk," Cam ran both his hands through his hair as he stood up, "Let's get you checked out of the infirmary first and then we go to my place."

Sam nodded in agreement, leading the way. As he followed her out, Cameron put his hand over where she had caressed him. His skin was burning from her touch and he wanted to burn some more, preferably for the rest of his life.

As they walked down the corridors, to the outside world Samantha Carter and Cameron Mitchell were just going about their business as normal. To the casual observer they both projected themselves as professionals. Only they knew different, inside they were a nervous and excited mess.

To be continued. Please review.


	4. Chapter 4

Cameron unlocked the door and stood aside to let Sam in. Closing the door behind him, he dimmed the hallway lights. It wasn't the first time she had been inside his home, but this time it was different.

He watched her open the connecting French doors that led out to the patio. With her back towards him, she leaned against the intricately designed railing. He stood in the doorway, content just to watch her. She turned enough so that she faced him. The moon was full and it shone on her and what he saw made his heart stop. _She looked magical. _

Sam beckoned him over with a smile and held out her hand for him. Taking it, he stood next to her. They both looked out over the garden wondering where to start.

Sam decided that it was best if she made the first move. Her insides where even more wobbly than the blue jello she had just consumed. _God where do I start? What do I say?_ Holding onto the railing for support. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, comforted by the fact that he was just as nervous as her.

"Cam, back on the planet… What happened after you pulled me out of the water?" She asked him quietly; distracted with the way the moonlight was dancing around in his eyes.

He looked at her for a long moment before answering. He rubbed the tense muscles on the back of his neck and sighed deeply, "When I pulled you out of the water, you weren't breathing Sam. I started CPR…" he broke off, taking a moment to breath, his voice thick with emotion he carried on, "…I started CPR but you weren't responding! I begged and I pleaded with you to breath… to come back…you must have heard me because…'cause you came back." Cam finally found the courage to look at her and smiled as tears shone brightly in her eyes, "Once Carolyn had us checked out, the General sent me and Vala to Alora. That's why I wasn't there when you woke up."

Sam realised that Cameron wouldn't just straight out declare his feelings for her, which frustrate her but she understood. He didn't want to risk their friendship, the team, and the mission on the chance that she may feel the same way. Instead he kept it in, hidden from her. She would never have known if it wasn't for that _one moment of weakness._

"When I regained consciousness, the first thing I saw was your face. I remember being held, being kissed…" Cameron looked at her sharply but didn't say anything, "Cam, you told me that you loved me."

Overwhelmed with the turmoil of being found out Cam stepped away from her. He'd been so careful, he felt physically sick. _Oh God, she knew and now she was going to set him straight. _He didn't think he could face it; in fact the rejection would destroy him. He looked at her with desperation and hope; he was waiting for the final blow. Her words about needing to talk came back to him. _Tell her Cameron, tell her everything._

"You're right Sam I did say it. Look Sam I know what you're going to say but I promise you that my feelings will in no way interfere with my job, it won't affect my judgment or objectivity," he told her what he'd been wanting to tell her for a long time, " the last thing I want to do is make things awkward between us Sam, but since you already know, I want you to know everything…" she looked into his eyes, his soul laid bare in front of her. Never wavering his penetrating gaze from her he looked deep into her eyes and told her.

"Sam you are the most amazingly wonderful woman I've ever met. You drive me crazy with all your science and techno stuff, I don't understand the majority of what you say yet I can't get enough of it. You have an eternal strength that gives courage to those around you. You have a heart as big as the universe and your soul out shines every sun, star and moon out there. You're brilliant, sexy, fearless, and passionate. I am so in love with you Sam; so crazy about you…" he caressed away tenderly the tears that flowed freely from her eyes, his voice breaking.

His eyes looked at her adoringly, she was about to say something but he covered her mouth with his fingers.

"Shhh…don't say anything. I love you whether it's right or wrong Sam, whether I should or shouldn't but my heart and soul does and nothing is ever going to change that…"

Sam grabbed his head in both hands pulling him towards her; she kissed him so gently that he thought he imagined it. He didn't respond to her, covering her hands with his own he waited, waited for her to tell him.

"You're right to… you should… and I love you too!"

_There, she said it._ That was all he needed to hear, he pulled her into the arms that had for so long been aching to hold her. He kissed her mouth, her face, her neck any part of her scented flesh that he could, while she was still fully dressed.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam was the first to wake up. She felt incredibly sexy, satisfied and content. Every cell in her body still buzzed with sexual pleasure. Her nerve endings still fully charged awaiting a stimulating outlet. As clichéd as it sounded, he had made her feel like a goddess.

Soft early morning sunlight filtered through the bedroom blinds, outlining every muscular contour of his sensuous body. He lay on his back an arm flung over his head and snored away softly, at ease in a relaxed slumber.

Sam smiled to herself, to her, there was nothing more endearing than watching this strong man, the man she loved more than life itself, sleeping in such a care free manner that it made him appear innocent and childlike. She put a hand over her heart as her protective instincts kicked in.

She trailed a finger enticingly along his inner thigh, encouraging him to awaken and ravish her they way he had the night before. Instead still asleep, he rolled over towards her and tucked her into his body. For the rest of the morning was slept away in each other's arms.

Sam hummed as she walked down the corridor towards the briefing room. They'd been together, now, for a couple of months and she had never been happier. She truly loved him and knew that Cameron felt exactly the same way about her. They had managed to keep their relationship hidden from everyone; it was vital if they wanted to continue working within the air force.

Sometimes she would forget she was an air force officer; forget that their love for each other was a secret. She wanted nothing better than to stand on a rooftop, on any planet, and declare to the world " _I love Cameron Mitchell!"_

She treasured the moments when she would open her eyes and the first thing she would see was that gorgeous smile and those deep pools of blue.

They spent all their free time together, going to the movies, on walks, dancing and dinner. Sometimes they would drive far out of town giving themselves the freedom of being a normal couple, able to hold hands without having to worry about anyone seeing them together.

Each minute was passion filled. She was always in a constant state of arousal, his eyes fuelling her fire with the promise of things to come. Every time she thought she had her response to him under control, a single provocative touch would cause her body to erupt in a ball of flames.

Because of the ongoing battle with the Ori and the ever-increasing threats they faced every time they stepped through the gate, in the back of their minds they knew that any day could be their last. They tried not to think about it and live each day as it came but they would find themselves planning for the future, talking about marriage and about having children – it was what they both wanted.

To be continued. Please review and tell me how I'm doing so far!


	6. Chapter 6

In the briefing, Daniel relayed to the rest of the team what he had learned. He had discovered a hidden gate address within the scrolls they had brought back from PX2-349. The scrolls, buried in a protective casing for hundreds of years remained undiscovered until Teal'c came across them by accident. Years of erosion had worn away the rock in which they were hidden; only sunlight bouncing off an exposed part of the casing had led to their discovery. They were full of obscurities and it had taken him this long to translate the text. The scrolls described a place where a very powerful weapon was concealed, a weapon designed to wipe out an enemy from afar without posing any danger to the user. It also indicated of a second device that contained the neutraliser should the user become affected. Each device was concealed within different sections of the chamber. The language was Ancient but unlike any written form he had seen before.

Whether it was of Ancient design or not, it was of the up most importance that they find the weapon before Adria. General Landry authorised the mission without hesitation, they needed every advantage they could get.

They stepped through the gate weapons at the ready, when no threat was apparent they relaxed but remained vigilant.

Cam waited for Sam to finish taking readings of the atmosphere, with the planet having twin suns there was the danger of radiation. Seeing she was happy with the information provided by the instruments, he asked her, "We good to go?"

"Yep, everything looks within tolerable levels. We should be okay for a while."

Spotting signs of a structure not too far from the gate, they walked in comfortable silence each taking the time to observe their surroundings.

There was not much to see in Cameron's opinion; the planet was barren and more than likely uninhabited. The suns shone brightly in the clear sky and a cool breeze skimmed his skin, helping to ease the intensity of the heat.

Cameron glanced sideways at Sam. She looked as gorgeous as ever. Her jacket hung loosely around her hips and when she caught him looking, she grinned at him.

When they got to the structure, it was nothing but ruins. Trying to taper their initial disappointment, they scoured the ruins for any sign of the weapon and its neutraliser.

Daniel busied himself by recording images of the ruins for later study. The rest split up occupied with the task of sifting through the rubble. After a couple of hours, Cameron was about ready to call it a day.

"Over here!" Teal'c shouted them over as he lifted a heavy pillar and pushing it to one side.

"What is it Teal'c?" Cameron asked him peering over his shoulder.

"It appears to be a passageway."

The passageway was steep and narrow; every so often, they would encounter resistance as the corridors became tighter. It was getting harder to breath in the dry air. Finally, they saw what looked like a door.

The instant they stepped through it a foul odour hit them making them gag, the air was sickeningly stale. The only source of light was coming from a long distance ahead, a faint green glow.

"God, that's awful!" Sam spoke covering her mouth and nose with her free hand repulsed.

"I should've skipped lunch!" Vala's face screwed in disgust.

"It doesn't look like anyone's been here for a long time," commented Daniel trying his best not to heave.

Cam remained quiet walking ahead of the others towards the dim light. The green glow was coming from a small box displayed in the centre of the room. In the far corner lay a heap of bones, unquestionably the source of the odour. He became drawn to the skull resting on the box, he got the strange feeling it was watching him, he knew it was impossible but telling himself that did not alleviate the creeped out feeling.

Stepping closer he took a good look at the box, anything that could provide them with an upper hand against the Ori interested him. It was small and square and made from a metal composition he didn't recognize. The box itself had a transparency to it yet he could not see inside. It was the weirdest thing he had ever seen. The detail was amazing in its complexity whether there was any significance to it he did not know. There didn't seem to be any obvious signs of access to the contents, no visible buttons or lid.

"You alright?"

Startled Cameron jumped at hearing Sam's voice. Smiling he nodded and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"Did you guys find anything?" Vala enquired as she approached them, she focused on the box and asked them dubiously, "Is that it?"

To be continued. Please review and let me know if you like it so far.


	7. Chapter 7

"Looks like it." Answered Cameron still transfixed with the device.

"It's small." Vala pointed out, just in case they hadn't noticed.

"Mmm…" Cameron's response was vague, his concentration focused on one thing and one thing only.

Sam began to feel uneasy with the sudden change in Cameron; she tried to get his attention but he just wasn't responsive.

"Cam?"

He ignored her.

"CAM, snap out of it!" Concerned,Sam stood between him and the device.

It did the trick. Coming out of the trance, he looked at her baffled, "What…what happened?"

"I don't know, you're the only one who seems to be affected. Maybe you should stay away from it." As soon as she stepped away, Cameron came under its spell again. Not liking it one bit she held firmly onto Cameron's arm, leading him away from the device and out of the room without saying another word.

"What was all that about?" Vala whispered in Daniels ear as she watched them leave.

He shrugged at her question, his attention fixed on the box. He was taken aback; it wasn't anything like what he had imagined when he ascertained the existence of the weapon. He thought it would have been bigger and more menacing for what it was designed to do.

Cameron allowed her to pull him along; he was still feeling a little fuzzy. He couldn't understand let alone explain to her why he was drawn to it, he just knew that he was and that he couldn't control it.

"Honey you can stop now."

"No."

"Baby…"

"Cam I'm going to get you far away from that thing as possible. I don't like what it's doing to you." Nevertheless, she stopped anyway.

"I'm fine Sam. It only seems to be effective in close proximity." Cam gazed at her lovingly, "Come here…" He whispered quietly, lacing his fingers with hers he pulled her into his arms. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Satisfied that he was indeed alright, she smiled, "Yeah this morning, but I don't mind hearing it again." She said looking intently at his lips.

It was just meant to be a quick kiss, but one kiss turned into two, two into three and before they knew it, each kiss became more passionate and more demanding than the previous. Weapons fell to the ground, discarded as the hands that were carrying them found themselves busy with matters that were more urgent. She forced him to the wall and wrapped her legs around his hips grinding herself against him, moaning with pleasure at his growing arousal.

"Sam…"

"Hmmm…"

"We've got to stop right now…" He managed to say between mind-blowing kisses.

Leaning against the wall for support, Cameron reached for his radio trying to go about business as usual, "Jackson you guys keep looking. We're going to search the rest of this place, between us we should be able to find it and uh…watch your back. "

"Sure, no problem. You okay Mitchell? You sound breathless."

Grinning at Sam, who was still getting dressed, he answered him, "Yeah, I'm fine. Mitchell out."

With her back to him, she could hear him laughing; when she turned round to look at him he shook his head in disbelief, "We've just had sex while on a mission, we've broken every away mission protocol in the book."

Inhaling the lingering sweet scent of their lovemaking, Sam simply stated, "Next planet, I'm on top!"

Sam along with Doctor Lee, and a few other scientists, had been working none stop for the last two weeks trying to figure out how the weapon worked. So far, all their attempts proved to be fruitless.

General Landry had authorised a second mission but like the time before they came back empty handed. They had searched high and low, both times, and still the neutraliser eluded them. Daniel had gone over the scrolls numerous times in case he had missed a vital clue. She was beginning to think it may not exist and if it did, it was too well hidden.

Deciding to take a well-earned break, she headed for the cafeteria. Grabbing a sandwich and a slice of chocolate cake, Sam joined the others who appeared to be in deep conversation but from the looks of it, Vala was doing most of the talking.

"I'm telling you Daniel, there's something going on between them." Vala was adamant.

Teal'c sighed with annoyance. Since they had returned from the original mission, Vala hadn't left the subject alone, discussing it at every opportunity.

"They had sex on PX6-701, I'd bet you're life savings Daniel that it wasn't the first time either. They've been having a lot of sex. Hot steamy…"

"Vala!"

"Oh, don't be such a prude Daniel; I don't care what you say I know I'm right. In fact Sam's heading over here right now, let's ask her." Vala winked at Teal'c conspiratorially whose only response was to roll his eyes in a way that only he could.

"Hi, guys," Sam greeted them, pulling up a chair and taking a large bite out of her sandwich, "God, I'm so hungry!"

Vala leaned forward with a huge grin on her face, looking at her intently, "Vala?"

"Samantha?"

Sam looked at the others for clarification but they just looked the other way, "Okay Vala, what's going on?"

Vala reached across, poking her in the shoulder with each word, "I know what you've been up to with a certain someone we all know."

"What?!"

"Come on Samantha, you can tell us. I've seen the way you and Cameron are around each other, you can't keep your hands off of him."

Sam's mouth fell open in shock, "I don't know what you're talking about Vala!" She looked around quickly to make sure no one had overheard and was grateful that the nearest group of people were seated five tables away.

"Yes you do. So come on spill it." Vala rubbed her hands with anticipation.

"Spill what?" Cameron asked as he sat down next to Sam, passing her one of the cups of coffee he was holding, unaware he was the topic being discussed in the conversation.

He recognized the gleam in Vala's eyes and immediately regretted asking the question.

Sam considered denying it but if she was honest, she wanted them to know. In the beginning, their union was new and fresh and she had preferred the secrecy. Today she and Cameron were in a committed relationship and maybe it was time they celebrated that love by telling their friends. Her heart warmed when she looked at each of them, she knew she could share with them the greatest part of her life without judgement and without consequence.

"They want to know if there's anything going on between us."

Cameron raised his eyebrows in surprise, "They do, do they?" He asked facing them. Underneath the table, he gave her leg a quick squeeze, letting her know she could tell them if that was what she wanted.

Over the last couple of weeks, he began to sense the growing frustration in her. They had talked about it many times; they both hated having to think about how they were around each other. Hated having to consider how a simple gesture or an innocent touch might be perceived, if they expressed too much familiarity. Maybe it was a good thing they were asking because if they could see it, there was a very good chance someone else, mainly the General, would eventually notice it too.

"Enough of the suspense, tell us already!"

Vala's excitement was catching; smiling Sam told her the truth, "Yes."

Opening the front door Sam was careful not to make a noise. Throwing her bag and coat on to the couch, she headed for the kitchen and opened the fridge. Choosing a bowl of left over pasta salad and a bottle of water, Sam sat at the table and reflected on the day. She had been at the SGC since eight that morning and now, looking at the glow in the dark clock hanging on the wall, it was almost midnight. She had gotten nowhere with deciphering the weapon. Daniel, Vala and Teal'c had left for the day soon after learning of their relationship.

Sam laughed recalling what had transpired..

"_Yes."_

_Vala jumped up squealing with delight, turning to Teal'c she gave him a big slap on the back and for her trouble she received a glare of barely restrained patience._

_To Daniel she simply said, "Ha, I was right," cupping her hands in front of his face she smiled sweetly, "Daniel if you please." Looking at him expectantly._

"_What?" He asked looking down at her hands._

"_I won the wager fair and square, it is only right that you now turn your life saving over to me."_

_The look on Daniel's face was priceless and led to heartfelt laughter all round._

_The subject of their relationship wasn't raised again, each of them acknowledging the need for secrecy.  
_

_Before leaving, Vala approached her in her lab and gave her blessing._

"_Sam, Daniel's taking me to see a movie, but before I go I just wanted to let you know that I think you're perfect for each other. He loves you very much; I know he'll make you happy."_

"_Thanks Vala." Sam returned her hug._

"_Don't work too late, Col. Mitchell gets crabby if he doesn't get enough sleep," she wiggled her eyebrows to get her meaning across. Sam smiled and shook her head slightly as she watched her walk out of the door. She was about to return to her computer when Vala popped her head round the door, "We're going to have a girly chat tomorrow Samantha and you're going to give me every little detail."_

Yawning, Sam put the dishes in the sink and headed for the bedroom. Changing quickly into one of Cameron's t-shirts she climbed onto the bed only to find it empty. Reaching over to his side of the bed she found it cold, he hadn't come home.

"_Sam how much longer are you going to be?" Cameron asked her stretching his tired muscles._

"_At least another couple of hours," she replied with a grin, he really looked like was going to fall asleep at any moment, "Cam why don't you go home, I'll be there as soon as I've finished."_

_Cameron walked round to her side of the table and spun her chair to face him, "Baby, come on… leave that till tomorrow. It hasn't so much as said boo for the last couple of weeks, I don't think you having an early night is going to change anything." His eyes appealed to her._

"_I can't…I want to do a couple of more tests before I call it a night," she pushed him towards the door, "go …I'll be there soon."_

Sam tried ringing his mobile but it was switched off. She considered calling the SGC but decided against it. _He'll be home soon, _with that thought Sam fell into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Cam opened his eyes, trying to recognize where he was. He vaguely remembered staggering to one of the guest quarters in search of a bed, thinking he would get some sleep while she finished working. Rubbing his eyes he looked at his watch, it was two in the morning, _She must have finished by now_. Sitting up at the edge of the bed, he tried to shake himself awake, straightening his uniform he left in search of his woman.

The lab was empty. _She must have left already_.Turning to leave his eyes fell on the weapon from PX6-701; he could feel himself being drawn to it. It was as if it was calling out to him. It was the first time he had come into contact with it since the incident on the planet; _she must have forgotten to put it away._ _It hadn't affected anyone else and thinking he had already left she hadn't thought to lock it away_. He had promised Sam that he wouldn't go anywhere near the device but no promises in the world could stop him from walking towards it. The closer he got the stronger the pull became.

Sorry about the delay, I started out with writers block and then I couldn't stop writing. The next chapter is well on its way. So please review and let me know what you think. Thanx.


	8. Chapter 8

Cam stood in front of the device now completely under its control, his mind forced to shut down as his body complied with the demands that were being made of it. Reaching out he placed his hands on either side of the device, his fingers applying various degrees of pressure at specific intervals. Stepping back Cam waited. After a moment the box began to vibrate gently, as the vibrations became stronger it began to open up. The top and sides sprung open to reveal a black crystal suspended in mid air amongst a web of bright light, in a slow and steady spin. Cam remained motionless as the crystal began spinning faster and faster each revolution building up to the release of a high intensity beam, blasting him from head to toe.

Cameron woke up to find himself tangled up in bed. It took him a moment to realise that he was still at the SGC, looking at his watch he knew it was too late to head home. His head hurt badly, his brain felt like mush and his mouth dry. The only time he felt like this was when he had been out drinking the night before and he was pretty sure he hadn't. He forced himself to work through the pain in his head, trying to think. He remembered waiting for Sam and then falling into a very comfortable bed… and then nothing.

His body protested as he got out of bed, "God I feel like an old man!" Stretching gently he tried to work out the kinks in his sore body, unaware of everything that had transpired the night before.

"Coffee… must have coffee!" Cameron muttered to himself, closing the door behind him.

"Col. Mitchell!"

Cameron looked up to find the resident BFG, looking not so friendly.

"What's up Teal'c?" Cameron asked him draining the last of the coffee in the mug and pouring himself some more.

Teal'c looked at him raising his eyebrow; he would never understand the compulsion the humans had for the hot dark liquid. Over the years he had observed that most humans were unable to function without at least one cup of coffee first thing in the morning, he didn't want to consider what would become of the Tauri if coffee no longer existed. He had tried it once, at the insistence of O'Neill, but one sip had been enough and he never touched it again.

"I believe we were scheduled for a sparring session."

Cameron looked at him blankly, "We were?"

"Yes, this morning at 0700 hours."

"You're sure?"

Teal'c only had to straighten his back a little more than usual and angle his head a few degrees more to the right, a look he rarely used, and Cameron received the message loud and very clear.

"You're sure."

Teal'c was worried. During the sparring session, he noticed that Mitchell was having trouble focusing. He was slow to react and as a result, he failed to block against his attack. A few times Teal'c had given him the opportunity to stop but Col. Mitchell insisted in carrying on.

They circled each other waiting for the right moment to strike. Teal'c made the first move and managed to land a couple of hard blows to Cameron's ribs forcing him on to the mat.

"Do you require medical assistance?" Teal'c asked kneeling down beside him watching him coughing and wheezing, struggling to catch his breathes.

Holding his side, he shook his head, "I'll be alright…just need a few minutes… catch my…"

Teal'c was unsure, however, and decided to end the session.

He didn't feel right. He was tired and very achy, not to mention that his ribs hurt like hell. Stripping himself of his clothes Cameron stepped under the shower, sighing as the hot spray provided much needed relief to his bruised and pained body.

Sam watched Dr Lee pack the device in a specialised storage container, readying it for shipment. They had been trying to solve the mystery of the device for almost a month now and had made no progress at all. Between them, they had conducted every test and experiment they could think of but had to reluctantly, admit that they had no idea how to make it work. General Landry ordered them to send it to Area 51 for further study; disappointment was evident in him as it was in everyone else. They had all their hopes pinned on this weapon, a weapon that promised to deliver them free of the Ori.

Leaving Dr Lee to finish off the paperwork, Sam made her way to the briefing room her thoughts drifting to Cam as she stepped into the elevator.

She was worried. He was constantly fatigued and all he seemed to be doing was sleeping. He had trouble focusing on anything. He wasn't eating properly and when he did, it wasn't much. He had attributed it to having caught a nasty cold. More than once she had tried talking him into going to the infirmary to be checked out but he maintained that, he would be fine in a couple of days and told her to stop worrying.

She bumped into Cameron outside the briefing room. He looked pale. His eyes had dark circles under them though he was sleeping more than usual, he spent most of that time tossing and turning. Before she could say anything General Landry exited his office and joined them in the briefing room.

SG5 had returned from a routine recon mission to PY2-419 where they had discovered what looked like an Ori training camp. It was the first they had heard about it and because it was a possible change in their strategy, it required a closer look. The General wanted them to go to the planet and learn all they could and if deemed necessary, to destroy it.

Passing copies of the Intel gathered to each of them, he said, "You leave at 0900 hours, dismissed."

The General stopped Cameron at the door, "Son, you don't look well at all," the General held his hand up to stop Cameron from beginning his protest, "In fact, I want you to go home right now. If in the morning you're not feeling any better, you're to report to Dr Lam first thing."

"Yes Sir."

He didn't know how he managed to make it through the briefing without throwing up. He had never felt so nauseous and so ill in his life. His head hurt so badly it was as if a jackhammer was digging further and further into his skull. In fact, his entire body was in constant pain. He couldn't eat anything as it burned his insides; the only thing he could manage to stomach was water. All he wanted to do was go to bed and sleep it out but sleeping wasn't doing him any good either as he felt worse when he woke up. He no longer considered that he had a cold. He sensed something was wrong. He knew he should go to the infirmary right now but every time that thought came to him, something made him forget it.

He found the others gathered in Daniel's lab going over the Intel. He didn't have the energy to say or do anything; instead, he just sat on the chair next to Sam, rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Hey, you're not feeling any better are you?" Sam whispered stroking his back trying to soothe him, understanding what it was he wanted.

Cameron rubbed his face against her neck, seeking comfort in her love. He began to relax to the rhythm of her hand on his back, content to remain there.

It was the first display of real affection that the others had seen between them. Witnessing the strength of their love, they knew there were no two people more perfectly matched, in every way. Daniel, Teal'c and Vala watched Sam transform to the role of lover as she took care of an ill Cameron. They didn't care about when and how they came to be together, just thankful that they did. It was strange to see Cameron, a very strong and independent personality, allow himself to be tended to, to be taken care of and Sam finally seemed to have that sense of completion she had been in search of for as long as they'd known her.

The five of them discussed the Intel report at great length. Coming up with potential scenarios based on the intelligence available to them, they debated strategies in accordance with each possible outcome.

There was only so much preparation an SG team could do prior to a scheduled mission. Satisfied with their readiness, they parted ways, each planning to get as much sleep as possible.

Once at home, Sam helped Cameron out of his clothes and into bed. She watched him struggle to find a position comfortable enough for him to sleep. When he did manage to doze off, he didn't look anywhere near relaxed. Instead, he turned a shade paler and sheen of perspiration dampened his skin. Careful not to disturb him, she climbed in next to him but giving him space.

Over the last week or so she had paid careful attention to him, as each day passed his condition gradually worsened but he was too stubborn to admit it.

Sam moved closer to him, near enough to kiss him without waking him up. She loved him very much and it hurt when he didn't confide in her. She knew he didn't do it intentionally, it was just they way he was, but it still hurt nonetheless.

"Sam?"

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Cameron called out her name in his sleep. Sam placed a hand on his chest, making him aware of her presence, "I'm here."

Still in an agitated state, Cameron reached out for her. His body was hot to the touch and Sam realised he was in the grips of a full-blown fever. She held him still as shivers from the fever took possession of him. Cameron opened his eyes once the shivers had passed, there was such a far away look in those beautiful blue eyes that Sam had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying.

"Sam?"

"Sshhh baby, close your eyes," caressing his face, Sam reassured him, "I'm going to be right here, Cam, I'm not going anywhere."

He didn't need to understand what she said, just knowing her voice reached him through the fever was sufficient to appease her.

Cameron's breathing remained uneven and wheezy and his temperature continued to rise. Using a cold damp washcloth, Sam tried to cool his body in an effort to bring his fever down.

Later on that night, Cam's condition took a drastic turn for the worst.

"Sam!" Daniel shouted out as he ran through the front door, followed very closely by Teal'c. He'd had the life frightened out of him when he'd answered the phone. Sam was sobbing uncontrollably on the other end. He could make out enough of what she was saying to understand that something was very wrong. She needed their help.

He'd driven like a mad man, first to pick Teal'c and then over to Sam's place.

"Up here!" They heard her cries from upstairs.

They rushed up the stairs and came to a halt outside the bedroom. The sight that greeted them was one they wouldn't soon forget.

A medical team was waiting for them as soon as they arrived at the SGC. Sam was inconsolable as she watched Teal'c carry the still form of her soul mate to the medics. The two of them stood by watching as they rushed him into the elevator and straight to the infirmary.

Sam ran all the way to the infirmary but was abruptly stopped, just inside, by a pair of strong arms. She ceased struggling to free herself from the vice like hold when she saw the scene in front of her.

Dr Lam was holding Cameron's head, as he was violently sick. She watched as his entire body began to shake with the shock of its weakened state. Blood was literally pouring out of his mouth, he cried out as the pain became too much. The convulsions eventually ended and he collapsed with exhaustion.

Sam's legs buckled beneath her as she took in the sight before her. His eyes were red raw and bloodshot, his pallor ghost like. Perspiration drowned him as his lips turned blue. Incessant beeps could be heard from all the monitoring equipment surrounding him. For a moment, just a moment, he looked straight at her, right there and then her heart shattered into a million pieces. Sam stared at him powerless to do anything, helplessly she watched him fight for each breath and then one final weak gasp of air. The next few minutes were a blur as Carolyn and other medical staff, frantically, tried to revive him.

Dr Lam walked over to them, a bearer of bad news. Shaking her head, she told them the truth, however difficult, "he's in a coma, and there's nothing we can do for him now."

General Landry suspended all gate activity until further notice. Until they could determine what had caused Col. Mitchell's illness and whether or not it posed a threat, no one was authorised to leave the base.

Dr Lam worked day and night trying to find the cause; the entire base was on tender hooks. Carolyn glanced over at Col. Mitchell, now in isolation; there was nothing in his blood work, no sign of infection and no sign of contamination of any kind. She had no idea where to look next, she was doing her best she only hoped it was good enough.

She turned her attention to the results of the latest batch of tests. All personnel were ordered to undergo testing, so far all tests came back negative that didn't mean anything as Cameron's results proved.

In the infirmary Sam, Daniel, Teal'c and Vala each waited for their turn. Sam was the last to be tested and she would be lying if she said she wasn't worried that Cameron might have passed something onto her when they made love. In truth, she wasn't worried about that as much as she was worried about their relationship becoming known.

If her result was positive, though she felt fine physically, and the others negative that would lead to only one conclusion but it was too late to think about that now. When the last of the blood samples were taken from her, she pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, as near as she could get to him without breaking quarantine. All she could see was the endless number of tubes and machines that were attached to her boyfriend's body, working together to keep him alive. She closed her eyes and focused all her energy towards him. Willing her life force to transfer into him, for him to wake up so that she could lose herself in those gorgeous pools of blue. The scientist in her told her it was impossible but the lover in her told her anything was possible, she was going to cling to that hope for all she was worth.

"I love you, do you hear me Cam? I love you!"

Daniel stood and watched her from the doorway. He saw her talking to him. It broke his heart to see her go through this, to see them both suffering. He walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, as that was all he could offer her. He knew from personal experience, that no words could help when facing the loss of a loved one. All he could do was be there and support her, as she had done for him.

Sam looked up at him with tearful eyes, her lips quivering in an effort not to cry. He watched her resisting, fighting to keep her emotions in check, when all she wanted was to release them.

She squeezed her eyes shut and still the tears escaped. Her heart heavy, her mind lost and her soul wept for its mate. Hope and reality  
fought a bitter battle within her. It was a stalemate, neither won nor lost; this was what she feared the most, living her life in a stalemate. Unable to live in a past with him and not able to live in a future without him, the thought of it was enough to kill her.

Please review as all your comments are very much appreciated. Next chapter coming soon.


	9. Chapter 9

General Landry opened his office door only to find his daughter standing outside, panicked and unsure.

"Dad…"

She never called him 'dad' unless his little girl needed him. Moving aside to let her in, he closed the door behind her to allow them privacy.

It had been a week now since he had declared a lockdown, even though the personnel under his command didn't show it, he didn't walk around with his eyes closed, he knew there were a lot of anxious people feeling trapped. He wanted nothing more than to reunite them with their families and allow them to go home but at present it was not going to be anytime soon.

She looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, and she did. He knew she was working day and night to solve the medical mystery surrounding Col. Mitchell and it was wearing her down

As commander of the base he was putting an immense amount of pressure on, not only her but also, all medical and science staff to find a solution. It didn't help when additional support from the outside was prevented from aiding them but it was a necessary step in order to contain a possible threat.

As her father, he knew she hadn't come to him looking for sympathy but support and reassurance.

"Carolyn?"

Defeated, she crossed what little distance was between them and stepped in his arms. Carolyn let go of all that was weighing her down in her father's embrace.

It had been a long time since she had needed him like she did today. Their relationship had suffered while she was growing up, due to the demands of his job and other reasons, but recently they were making progress in way of mending it.

"There's so many people relying on me, dad, I don't want to let them down."

"You're not letting anyone down, Lyn, I'm extremely proud of you," Carolyn smiled at her father's use of her childhood nickname, he hadn't called her by that name in a long time and it felt good to hear it, "no one is expecting miracles. You are doing you best and that's all we ask of you and your team."

Feeling much better she pulled away and smiled gratefully at her dad, "Thank you."

Understanding that their father/daughter moment was over, it was back to business.

Vala had managed to drag Sam away from Cameron's bedside and into her quarters to give her a break. She had spent every minute of the last week with him, she ate very little and only slept when exhaustion refused to allow her to keep her eyes open. They were all worried about her; she spoke very little instead internalising all that was going on inside her. Vala wanted to try and get her to open up; it wasn't healthy what she was doing to herself.

Sitting down next to her on the floor she put her arm around her, "Sam don't do this to yourself. Talk to me please, tell me what can I do?"

Sam for the first time looked at her, really looked at her, "Give him back to me Vala, I want him back…"

Vala only now realised how petrified Sam really was at the prospect of Cameron dying, "Sam, I'm not going to pretend I understand what you're going through but what I can tell you is that I have never met a man more stubborn and resilient than your Cameron and he's fighting everyday, you know that, he hasn't given up so don't you either."

"I haven't," Sam smiled genuinely.

Vala gave her shoulder a squeeze, " Don't keep everything bottled inside you Sam, you'll feel better talking about it."

"I'm so scared, you have no idea. I keep thinking any minute now he's going to wake up and when that minute passes I wait for the next minute and then the next one and then for the one after that. I know he's fighting, we're all fighting with him but the thought of living without him…" She looked at Vala, her blue eyes only scratching they surface of her inner pain, " I can't live without him, I love him so much I feel like I can't breath. A little part of me dies everyday…"

"Now you listen to me Samantha Carter, Cameron's not going to die. He's going to pull through and the two of you are going to grow old together surrounded by your children and your grandchildren. You have to be strong for both your sakes," Vala took a deep breath, what she was going to say next would be hard for Sam to hear but it had to be said, "Sam, I want you to listen to me carefully…"

A code blue alert interrupted them.

Nurse Rollins adjusted Col. Mitchell's medication through his IV and thought about the huge crush she had on him since the first time they had met. It was lust at first sight; she had been walking out of the infirmary, with a mountain of medical files in her arms, and at the same time he was walking in. Neither saw the other until it was too late and in trying to avoid bumping into him she had lost her balance and the medical files flew out of her arms and landed everywhere.

She had never been so embarrassed in her life, it had been her first day and she felt like a total klutz. But he'd been so nice about it, he helped her pick up the files and insisted in helping her sort through them, since he was partly to blame. They had spent the next hour sifting through the mixed up papers, and talking in general. The entire time, all she kept thinking was that he had the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen and wondered how perfect it would be to wake up to them everyday. Sadness filled her heart thinking about it.

The rapid beeping of the heart monitor brought her attention back to the present. He was exhibiting signs of respiratory distress, she tried to adjust his oxygen levels but it was too late Col. Mitchell had gone into cardiac arrest.

Initiating a code blue, she tried her best to try and stabilize him until help arrived.

"Charge to 200… clear!"

"Again! Clear!"

"Charge to 360… clear!"

"Again! Clear!"

"Begin compressions!"

"Come on Mitchell! Fight!!"

They waited anxiously for news. They had all heard the alert but were prevented from going into the infirmary by a guard. He was under strict orders, from Dr Lam, not to allow anyone other than medical staff into the infirmary.

The silence in the briefing room was deafening, tension crackled and silent prayers were said.

The moment Carolyn walked into the briefing room, five pairs of hope filled eyes turned to her. Laying a hand on her fathers shoulder she gave it a squeeze and the message filtered through to him.

Tearfully she ended their wait, "We tried everything…there was nothing more we could do…I'm so sorry, Col. Mitchell died a few moments ago…"

No one spoke. No one moved. No one breathed.

Please, please review. i've been trying to find ways to keep changes in scene seperate, but it all keeps deleting! Any suggestions? Chapter 10 coming up.


	10. Chapter 10

"Cameron is that really you?" Sam asked the shadow that appeared in the doorway, peering at him through dream filled eyes.

"Yeah, it's me." Cameron Mitchell looked at his fragile mother with so much love and adoration. Over the last couple of years her health had deteriorated and she had begun to confuse him with his father. He would love to have met the man that his mother was still very much in love with and he would consider himself to be a very fortunate man if he ever found someone to love him as half as much.

Cameron glanced at his reflection in the mirror and saw his father staring back at him. He knew from the photographs of his dad that he was the splitting image of him, a constant reminder to his mom of the man she had lost long ago.

"You came back!"

Cameron nodded, pulling up a chair and sitting down beside her bed, "I came back for you Sam." If a small white lie gave his mother this much happiness then he would tell a thousand of them just to see that lovely smile of hers.

Crying she reached out for his hand holding it tightly over her thundering heart, feelings of pure love and tenderness radiated off her. Held in his; her hand was small and delicate, "I've missed you so much Cam. It's been so lonely without you, look at you…you haven't aged a day, so young and even more handsome than I remember…" With her other hand Sam brushed away the tears which were flowing steadily down his face, "Oh no, baby don't cry, we'll be together again soon. I just want to see our children one more time," Cameron squeezed his mother's hand, his chest tightening with emotion. "I did a good job with them, didn't I Cam? They're both so grown up. Kara, she's feisty and independent and strong minded…in a lot of ways she reminds me so much of you; and then there's Cameron, my beautiful little boy…I named him after you…" Sam smiled fondly thinking of her son, "he's just like you, he's got your eyes and your smile and your strength. You would be proud of them."

Cameron stayed with his mother well into the night, watching her sleep, his heart crumbling when she called out for his dad in her sleep. In the darkness of the hospital room, Cameron allowed himself the freedom to cry.

Cameron and Kara laid flowers on their parents' graves. They were finally together, sleeping side by side.

The doctors had ruled her death due to natural cause but her children knew different. She had been dying of a broken heart for a long time, holding on long enough to raise them into the people they were today.

"Mom, Dad we love you both very much. It won't be long now, just a couple of more days…" Planting a kiss on each of the headstones with her fingers, Kara said a final goodbye to both her parents.

Looping her arm through her brothers' they walked to the car, ready to fulfil the promise they had made to their mother on her death bed.

"_I love you both with every fibre of my being, I couldn't be more proud of you." Struggling to breathe; she held onto the two of them, praying for just a few more minutes. "I've watched you grow up to be two different but equally wonderful people, I've been blessed to have you in my life. The world is a much better place with you in it but... now it's time for me to go. Your fathers' been waiting for me for such a long time, I don't want to keep him waiting any longer. Be there for each other…" With her last breathe she added as she faded away, "he'll be there won't he?" Kara nodded kissing her mother on her cheek, "You promise?"_

"_We promise mom, you and dad will live your life the way you were supposed to, Cam and I won't allow fate to cheat you twice."_

_Holding onto the two people that meant most to her in the world she passed away, peacefully._

_ Chapter 11 coming up!!  
_


	11. Chapter 11

The plan was in place. Daniel fixed his gaze on to his Godchildren, observing them with much affection- they had been planning this for a long time. Leaving them to make the final preparations, he walked out of the cabin, quietly, for some much needed air and reflection.

The night sky was clear and beautiful; the stars twinkled brightly at him as if to assure him everything would work out. Moonlight filtered through the trees, lighting a path for him to follow. Daniel followed the path shown to him but it didn't matter what direction he took in life, he would never escape the guilt that lived in him.

He would never forgive himself for destroying this family. Daniel blamed himself for Kara and Cameron never having the chance to feel their fathers' love, for denying them of his presence in their lives. He blamed himself for the pain and anguish Sam had lived through, from the time she had learned of Cameron's death up until the moment she had died.

In his darkest hour, Sam told him she didn't blamed him for what happened to Cameron and Daniel had accepted that. But deep down he knew she would never truly forgive him and it was something that ate away at him everyday.

He had made critical errors in the translation of the scrolls and because of those errors he had set off a chain of events that had changed the course of their lives.

_The lockdown had remained in place for a few more days after Cameron's death. An autopsy was carried out and when it became evident that he was the only one affected, quarantine was lifted. General Landry had given them whatever time they needed to grieve for the loss of their friend._

_Sam remained on autopilot for a long while after, switching herself off mentally and emotionally. Not even Cameron's parents could pull her out of her despair._

_Col. Mitchell's funeral was very much a military affair. His superiors, both past and present, along with his friends and comrades paid tribute to an exemplary soldier, a honourable man and a hero._

_Emotions ran high as Mr and Mrs Mitchell accepted the folded United States flag given to them. Tearfully, Mrs Mitchell handed the flag to Sam; hugging her tightly to herself, she looked Sam in the eye- as far as she was concerned; the honour that came with the flag belonged to the woman who loved her son so much._

_Teal'c watched Sam kiss the single white rose she held in her hand and place it on the coffin. She wanted to be alone and he respected her wishes. Both himself and Daniel had stayed behind, should she need them but allowed her, her privacy._

"_I miss you so much baby, I'm so lost without you…come back and help me find my way. I'm alone…please don't make me live without you…please…I'm begging you…" Sam fell onto her knees unable to cope as the control on her emotions slipped._

_Teal'c placed his hand on her shoulder and knelt down beside her, offering words of comfort as Daniel looked on._

"_There is an old Jaffa saying…_

'_Where there is love, _

_Much happiness can be found,_

_But great sadness must follow._

_Destiny binds two souls to each other,_

_Fate forces them to part._

_No matter how strong the love is between two people,_

_One must always leave the other behind.'_

_You must take comfort in the knowledge that Col. Mitchell was spared the pain such loss brings."_

Daniel stopped for a moment as he recalled the words Teal'c had said and it was those words that had forced Sam to face reality.

Daniel woke up to a loud knock on his door, wondering who it could be at that late hour he opened the door, only to find Sam standing on his doorstep, shivering in the cold. She was wide eyed and an emotional wreck.

_He pulled her in to the warmth of the house and grabbed a blanket, wrapping it around her has he made her sit down on a chair in front of the fire. Daniel added more logs to the dying flames and before long they had a roaring fire._

_Daniel watched a motionless Sam stare in to the fire. Neither said a word, the only sound came from the crackling fire._

"_I keep telling myself that none of this is real, that it's not happening. I keep praying that I'm stuck in a nightmare and when I wake up he'll be there, telling me it was just a dream and that he was alive and well." Sam spoke with distance in her voice, it was like she was there but she wasn't. She was so numb._

_Daniel sat down beside her and waited for her to continue. _

"_I've tried to find someone to blame. This intense pain that rises up from deep within me, the agony that's eating me alive has to be someone's fault. Who can I blame for this crippling loneliness, the doctors who failed to save his life? God? Cam, for his stubbornness? _

_I keep going over and over it in my head, what could I have done differently? I should have made him see a doctor when he first became ill! I should have kept a better eye on him, maybe if I had taken more of an interest in how he was rather than spending every spare minute with that device, he would still be alive."_

"_No one is to blame, especially not you Sam. It took us all by surprise, there was nothing anyone of us could have done differently…"_

"_I'm so tired Daniel, I've got no energy. Look at me…I'm sobbing over the smallest things, crying for days on end…I'm a wreck…"_

_Sam looked at him, the pain and hurt still new and raw._

"_Haven't I been through enough already that I had to lose him too?!"_

_Sam rocked herself backwards and forwards as her river of pent up emotion burst its banks. She fell apart right there and then, weeping, screaming at the unfairness of it all._

_There was nothing he could do._

_Between heart wrenching sobs she asked him, "Why didn't he keep fighting? How could he leave me when there's a part of him growing inside me?!"_

It was then that Daniel had learned that Sam was pregnant with Cameron's child.

How do you tell a pregnant woman that her lovers' death was a mistake?

That the father of her children lost his life because of a malfunction?

How do you tell her that you were so wrapped up in your discovery that you didn't double check that the translation, of an obscure dialect of the Ancient language, was correct?"

They never found out what had happened to Cameron until the day they received a visit from a very angry group of aliens called The Bosanti. It was only then that they had learned the true extent of Cameron's suffering and Daniel learned of his part in Cameron's death. Even now he still had nightmares about it.

Reviews welcome, as always. Thanks for reading. Chapter 12 coming up!


	12. Chapter 12

The trees rustled as the wind weaved itself through and around them, picking up in strength it surrounded him. Daniel watched as the leaves came alive and danced to the melody of his torment. Looking up at the sky, he saw nothing. It seemed his companions had abandoned him- even they held him responsible.

Falling to the ground distraught, he asked "Don't you think I know that? What do you want from me? I'm trying to make it right…I'm trying!" Daniel screamed, unleashing his furry at the heavens.

"Uncle Daniel?"

Startled Daniel looked around him frantically, in his emotional state he failed to recognize Kara's voice.

"Uncle Daniel?" Kara repeated as she approached him.

Daniel could feel himself drowning as his tormented conscience sucked him in to the ever-growing void of guilt. The present dissipated as he found himself being buried alive in the nothingness and the emptiness.

Reaching for him, Kara pulled him up, "Come on Uncle Daniel, I'm here… you're safe now," the frail Daniel Jackson she saw today was only a hollow shell of the man she had known all her life.

Cameron closed the door to the adjoining room where the now medicated Daniel Jackson lay sleeping.

"I've not seen him like this in a long while," Kara stated running her hands through her blond hair, frustrated she started pacing.

Cameron remained silent; he knew it was her way of working through her feelings.

"I don't get it," she said concentrating on him, "We both forgave him a long time ago and so did mom, why doesn't he forgive himself?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Cameron sighed heavily. They had had this conversation a thousand times and every time she asked him the question, he gave her the same answer he always did, he didn't know.

"There's no point in driving yourself crazy over the answer Kara, in two more days there'll be nothing to forgive and it'll all be forgotten."

Kara stopped pacing and looked at her twin, he was such a gentle soul and she loved him dearly. He was her best friend, her backbone and the calm to her storm. The connection between them was so much more than just DNA; every step they took had a purpose, every decision made had an objective and each action had intent. Every aspect of their lives was a calculation, a methodical approach towards that one destination- their destiny.

Cameron lay awake; there was too much going on in his head for him to sleep, the events of the night dredging up old memories.

Ever since he could remember, they had always accompanied their mother to the SGC, when they weren't at school they were with her, cataloguing new discoveries, reverse engineering new technologies and creating new inventions. She had been well aware of the possible dangers having them with her posed but she had imposed this condition on General Landry when he had refused to accept her resignation. Earth needed Samantha Carter fighting at the forefront and she needed to protect her children between them they had come up with an arrangement; she would continue to work with them just as she had done before and in return there would be no official record of her relationship with Col. Mitchell and that her children came first and foremost. General Landry had agreed, like, George Hammond, he too had a soft spot for SG1 and therefore was willing to overlook the breaking of regulations.

It was only natural for himself and Kara to have followed her example; as soon as they were old, enough they had enlisted in the Air force and upon completion of their training, it was logical for them to take up posts at Stargate Command. Cameron had found a home in Astrophysics, Quantum Mechanics and Plasma/Particle physics, just like his mom. Throughout his childhood he had watched, her, fascinated with her work, in awe of her scientific accomplishments. Day and night he would pester her into telling him everything and anything she could, insisting on the real science and not what they were teaching at school (the need for secrecy had been drilled into them at a very early age). She couldn't have been more proud of him when he received his PhD's, he remembered her commenting that he was an even quicker study than she was… and that his father would have been very proud of him too.

He had quickly risen through the ranks and had been recently promoted to his present rank of Major, at 28 years of age. He was the second in command to Col. Peters, leader of SG 2, whereas Kara was the Anthropological and Linguistics expert to SG4.

Where he had chosen to follow in his mom's footsteps, Kara had followed in Daniel Jackson's.

Kara was a leading Anthropologist and held a PhD in Linguistics. She could speak over 40 languages and was an expert in Ancient cultures and languages in addition to current ones. The famous Dr Jackson had taught everything she knew. When he had been pouring over science papers and reports, she had been engrossed in his books and research notes. Smiling to himself Cameron recalled his uncle's statement when Kara received her PhD's, _"You know, your father would have asked you two one question and one question only, __**what's wrong with being a pilot?!**_"

They were ten years old when the Bosanti had paid them a visit.

_"Mom, can I stay over at Stacey's house this weekend?"_

"_Some other time Kara," Sam smiled at her daughters' disappointment before adding, "I was thinking that, maybe, this weekend we could go and visit your Grandma and Granddad Mitchell."_

_Cameron, who had been quiet for most of the walk to the elevator, tuned into the conversation, "For real this time?" He didn't want to sound too excited because the last few times they had made plans to go, they were forced to cancel them at the last minute._

"_Yes, I promise." _

"_Great! I'm going to ring granddad as soon as we get home, I'm going to tell him to saddle Coco up for when we arrive, this time I know I'm old enough to ride him on my own."_

_Kara pulled a face at her brother but Cameron didn't care, she was only jealous she couldn't ride a horse without mom sitting with her._

_They continued to exchange playful gibes at each other, waiting for the elevator. They were just about to step into it, when an eerie voice echoed throughout the base, repeating the same message over and over again…_

"_**We demand you return the Keelya to us. You trespassed onto Bosanti territory; your transgression will not go unpunished. Be warned this act of aggression will not be tolerated!"**_

_Even before the message had been fully heard, Sam's protective instincts kicked in._

"_Cameron, Kara I want you to stay close to me. What ever happens just stay close to me, ok?" _

_Running behind her as quickly as they could, they followed her into the command centre. Cameron watched as Walter's hands flew over every piece of equipment in front of him, trying to stop the voice._

"_What's happening?" Kara asked, moving a little closer to him._

_Holding her hand Cameron whispered back, "I don't know."_

"_Look Cam, the Stargate's glowing."_

_Cameron glanced in the direction Kara's finger was pointing and she was right, two chevrons had already locked into place._

"_Walter shut it down!"_

"_I'm trying Sir, the computer isn't responding!"_

"_Carter!"_

"_Why is the General shouting at mom? I thought he was a nice man but I'm not sure I like him now."_

"_Kara be quiet!" Cameron hissed at Kara a little too loudly and as a result attracted the attention of General Landry._

"_Airman, get these two out of here!"_

_As the man in the uniform approached them, Cameron looked at his mother for reassurance but she was too busy talking to Walter that she didn't notice them. Scared, he held onto Kara's hand and followed the man._

"_Kara we're not supposed to be in here, the man said we had to wait for mom in that room."_

"_Don't be such a wuss Cam," Kara dared him to follow her, "Don't you want to know what's happening? I've never seen an alien before!"_

"_What about Teal'c?"_

"_Teal'c doesn't count. Come on!"_

_Cameron followed his sister into the briefing room, crouching down they watched on._

_The blue water shot out at them and they both fell back gasping, they looked at each other and started giggling nervously, curiosity overcoming the fear as they peered into the gate room._

_Cameron saw the defence teams rush in, holding the biggest guns he had ever seen and pointed them at the gate._

"_I'll bet you your dessert that it's a green alien and he has three heads and five arms." Kara whispered, spitting on her hand to seal the bet._

"_Okay, but I bet it's going to be yellow with one head and four arms." _

"_Done."_

_They watched waiting to see who was right._

Sorry it's taken me so long to update, between working and college I've hardly had the time to sleep let alone write! Hopefully the next update won't take as long. Please R&R, they're appreciated as always. Thanx!!!!!


	13. Chapter 13

_All eyes focused on the rippling event horizon waiting for the first signs of something or someone coming through. They didn't have to wait long; a single humanoid form stepped through the gate and walked down the ramp as if it had all the time in the world. It seemed oblivious to the fact there were weapons aimed at it. It simply looked from one end of the room to the other, observing, processing and calculating before speaking._

"_**We demand you return the Keelya to us. You trespassed onto Bosanti territory; your transgression will not go unpunished. Be warned this act of aggression will not be tolerated!" **_

"_This is General Landry…"_

"_**We demand you return the Keelya to us. You trespassed onto Bosanti territory; your transgression will not go unpunished. Be warned this act of aggression will not be tolerated!" **_

_General Landry considered his next move. It was obvious they had a pissed off alien on their hands, but the fact that they were somehow responsible for this didn't sit well with him. He needed to find the underlying cause of this, sooner rather than later, if the threat was any indication of things to come. He tried again to speak with the alien but whenever he attempted conversation, he was interrupted with the warning._

_Frustrated he ordered the defence teams to stand down; maybe actions would speak louder than words._

_The alien failed to respond either way and instead chose to remain silent._

"_General may I?"_

_Receiving the go ahead Daniel left the control room. Holding his hands up to show he was unarmed, Daniel entered the gate room and cautiously approached the alien._

"_Hello…, I'm Daniel Jackson," Daniel greeted the alien, after a moment of indecision; he decided the best way to approach him was to get straight to the point- he looked like a no nonsense alien. "I understand that you believe we have something that belongs to you, and I understand that you're not happy about that but you too need to understand that we have no idea what it is you want or what act of aggression we have committed against your people. If you would explain it to us then we can begin to rectify this misunderstanding." Daniel looked appealingly at the alien who was slightly taller than himself, bluish grey in colour with large bug-like black eyes, a long thin slit for a mouth and a small nose. Its arms and legs were long and spindly. It looked remarkably like the Asgard._

_It appeared he had gotten through to the alien as it began to tilt his head left then right as if considering his words. _

"_I believe your words to be sincere. I will give you the opportunity to speak in your defence. Please lead the way to a more appropriate setting."_

………………………………

_Cameron and Kara had been watching the entire exchange with complete fascination. They were so eager to discuss what had transpired that through their excitement they failed to notice the voices outside the briefing room._

"_Uh oh!" They both looked at each other, they had nowhere to go._

"_Quick, hide under the table!" Cameron whispered quickly as he pushed Kara forward. They had enough time to crawl under the table before their mom, Daniel, General Landry and the alien walked through the open door._

_They had no choice but to listen in on the conversation, it was one they would remember word for word for as long as they lived._

_Daniel waited for the alien to be seated before making the introductions. "I'm Dr Daniel Jackson, this is General Landry, the leader of this facility, and this is Lt. Col Samantha Carter."_

_The alien nodded at each person as they were introduced to him as a sign of respect, "I am Kortin of the Bosanti."_

_Sam couldn't look past the uncanny resemblance to the Asgard, "Forgive me Kortin but I have to ask, are you, by any chance, related to the Asgard?"_

_Kortin looked directly at Sam and spoke in clipped tones, "Yes, the Asgard and the Bosanti share the same ancestry." _

_Sam couldn't help feeling she had in someway offended him, "I'm sorry if I've offended you, Kortin, it wasn't my attention."_

_Kortin acknowledged her apology with a bow of his head, "The Asgard and the Bosanti have a very unstable relationship that goes back many generations. Though we are distant relatives, for reasons that will remain private, we prefer not to be associated to each other. Now please we are digressing from the matter at hand…"_

_General Landry decided to take a back seat in this particular situation and gave Daniel diplomatic license, as he had built a rapport with Kortin- the fate of the planet may depend on it, it was reasonable to assume that they were just as technologically advanced as their distant cousins._

"_You mentioned us trespassing…could you be more specific?"_

"_Your presence on Suki."_

"_Suki?"_

"_Yes."_

_Clearing his throat Daniel tried to clarify, "Suki is the name of your planet?"_

"_No, my planet is called Bosanti."_

"_Is it just us you have an objection to or…?"_

"_No, all species are prohibited from stepping onto Suki."_

"_If that's the case then why haven't you buried the Stargate?"_

"_The Stargate is for the use of the Bosanti only; it is where we keep the Keelya."_

"_Yes, you mentioned the Keelya, how do you know it was us? I'm sure if it's a planet with an active Stargate then we weren't the only one's to have visited it?"_

"_What you assume to be a planet is in fact, Suki, the largest of the moons of the Bosanti home world, and you were the only people to have come through the Stargate other than ourselves, therefore the most logical conclusion would be that if the Keelya is not in our possession, then it must be in yours."_

"_I don't understand, is it not possible that the Keelya was taken via ship?"_

"_No."_

_The three of them looked at each other baffled, it wasn't making any sense._

_They were getting nowhere fast, so Daniel tried again, "I'm sorry but you've lost us, can we go back a few steps?" _

"_I believe it is best if I start from the beginning. The Bosanti are the judicial body for a few hundred worlds spread throughout the galaxy. Long ago we felt the need to establish a penal colony and where the lesser civilized would be placed, it was decided that Suki would serve well in that regard as it could support life. A stargate was transported from a dying planet and placed there. Satellites as well as defence weapons were placed in orbit issuing warnings to any passers by. The Stargate was reprogrammed to only link with the one on Bosanti. No other Stargate can connect to it as the link to the local system of gates had been severed. Over the last few generations as each world gains independence, we have found very little use for the colony. Suki is now where only the most prolific of criminals are executed, that is how we learnt of the Keelya's disappearance."_

"_If what you are saying is true then how could we have gated there and removed the Keelya, you have already said yourself that it couldn't have been removed via ship?" Sam asked._

"_The answer is simple. Every hundred years a severe electrical storm occurs on Suki, the storm was powerful enough to supercharge the gate, attract a passing wormhole, and therefore establish an otherwise impossible, connection. However as the nearest Stargate to Suki, other than our own, is 10 light years away then this could not have occurred, this leaves only one possible explanation" Kortin looked at them one by one, " you must have dialled the gate address directly and taken the Keelya."_

_They all had a horrible feeling about where this was heading, they waited for Kortin to drop the bombshell._

"_Since the address of the Suki Stargate is one that has been created specifically by us and is not available to anyone else and the record shows that the last address dialled was to this planet, you and only you could have taken the Keelya," Rising Kortin faced General Landry, "You must at once return the Keelya to us and inform us of how you learned of the gate address."_

_The General in return looked at Sam who shrugged, "Kortin if you could give us the address for Suki we can input it into the computer, the computer will then tell us when we gated and how we came across the address."_

"_Very well."_

_A strong beam entered the room for all of a second, when they were able to focus their eyes; they saw a tablet on the table. _

"_All the information you require is there Lt. Col Samantha Carter."_

_Picking up the tablet Sam left the briefing room only to return a few minutes later visibly confused. _

"_Carter?"_

"_Sir, the gate address on the tablet matches that of PX6-701."_

"_PX6-701?"_

"_Isn't that the planet from the scrolls?" Daniel asked remembering and then it dawned on him, "the weapon we brought back is the Keelya."_

"_Yeah."_

"_Scrolls?" Kortin asked, reminding them of his presence._

_Daniel explained though he couldn't quite understand it himself, "We came across some scrolls a long time ago that promised to lead us to a powerful weapon that we could use against the Ori. The address on the scrolls seems to match the one you gave us, I don't know how but it does."_

"_That is not possible." Even Kortin now looked just as confused. "May I see these scrolls?"_

_Daniel ran as fast as he could to his lab. Pulling open filling cabinets, drawers trying to find the scrolls and his translation._

"_Come on they've got to be here somewhere!" He muttered banging his fists on the desk, frustrated._

_He spent the next couple of minutes throwing things around until he finally came across them, in a box in his storage room. High tailing it out he tried to go over in his head of what all this could mean._

_Out of breath, Daniel passed the scrolls and his translation to Kortin who spent the next hour going over them. Finally, he looked up and spoke._

"_Your translation is flawed Daniel Jackson, the gate address you have extrapolated from these scrolls is incorrect. I would advise you to look over these again."_

"_Flawed how?" Daniel asked shocked._

"_At this moment in time it is imperative that I return to my home world with the Keelya, but after that I would be happy to return and provide you with assistance, General Landry it is obvious that this entire incident has been a misunderstanding. If you would please…"_

_General Landry sighed with relief; there was one less enemy out there wanting to wipe them off the face of the planet._

………………………………

_Major Henderson entered the briefing room carrying the Keelya in its protective storage case._

_Carefully, Kortin opened the box and picked the device up, inspecting it. Happy with its condition he activated the transporter beam and sent it to the orbiting ship._

_Kortin stood up ready to leave when Sam stopped him, walking around the table toward him she stood directly in front of him and asked quietly, "What did this thing do to my Cameron?"_

_That's all for now folks, don't forget to review. The more reviews I get the quicker I will write the next chapter!_


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry folks! I know it's been a while since I've last updated. I want to thank all those who have kept up with the story and I want to thank those who have taken the time to review my work. This chapter will be the last- but don't worry I've got a couple of fab ideas for my next one so WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!!

p.s. All the science stuff is completly made up, so I apologise if it doesn't make sense.

Cameron woke up with a jar, he had been dreaming again, with everything that was going on lately, old memories where coming back to the surface and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't force them back down.

It was one particular memory that brought him out in a cold sweat. His father had died a long and painful death and no one knew about it, not even him.

"Cameron you ok?" Kara stood over his make shift bed, her forehead creased with concern.

"Yeah."

Kara watched her brother sit up and rub his face, trying to rid himself of the residual feelings of his dream.

"Want to talk about it?"

"I was dreaming about the day Kortin told us how dad had died."

He motioned for her to sit down next to him, tomorrow would be the end, it was time for the talk they had been trying to put off the last couple of days.

Kara looked out the window solemnly. The night was still and dark. There was no moon, no stars, no light and stillness encompassed them, leaving them to their own thoughts and their own fears, it provided no distractions.

She too remembered every detail that described their father's death; she would never wish that kind of pain and suffering to even the most evil being in the universe.

Kortin's explanation was very factual and without emotion, emotion measured by human standards anyway.

The Keelya had been used an hour prior to SG1's visit and therefore still remained active. It remained active until it reenergized, readying itself for the next time it was needed, and then it would deactivate itself, Kortin explained that this was the most dangerous time to be within it's vicinity as it would assume it's job was unfinished and therefore carry out another execution.

From what their mom told him, Kortin was able to tell them exactly what had transpired between their visit to Suki and their dad's death.

The Keelya had an hypnotic effect on who ever it came into contact with it in it's active state, and focused on that one person until they had died or it had been manually neutralized.

Back on the planet, unable to continue due to the interruption, provided by the rest of the team, the Keelya went into hibernation- until the next time it encountered him.

Once the virus was unleashed into his body, it camouflaged itself amongst the blood cells. The very nature of the virus prevented it from being detected inside it's intended victim. It was designed to only live for as long as it took the person to die and only within their body which was why all the blood tests that were taken yielded a negative result.

It had taken her dad four long weeks to die a long and excruciatingly painful death. The virus, once fully released, it began the task of slowly breaking down his DNA, causing his core temperature to rise, which subsequently resulted in the complete shutdown of his system. His immune system was the first to go, leaving him susceptible to infection and one by one his internal organs began to break down at the molecular level, his heart was the last to go. The pain he must have been in was unimaginable. He held on and fought up until the very last moment, up until he lost.

Hearing her brothers' voice at the edges of her thoughts she came back to the present.

"Kara?"

"Yeah?"

"You ready?"

Nodding she said, "As I'll ever be. Not long left now…"

"No…" Cameron reached over and held his sisters hand. They didn't need to say a single word to each other, their thoughts and feelings were the same.

They held onto each other for a long time not speaking.

"My entire life I've never been scared of anything , I've never had regrets about what we're doing…but right now I'm scared…I know that tomorrow I'm going to loose my best friend…my brother…and I regret the fact that mom and dad will never know how truly wonderful a son they created and how lucky I am to have known this amazing person…I'm proud to call you my brother and I've been blessed to have you in my life…I love you Cam, always have and always will." She said softly into his ear, her voice saturated with emotion.

"Kara…"

Smiling through her tears Kara shook her head, "Don't say anything Cameron, I'm the oldest so I'm pulling rank," kissing him on the cheek she stood up and left to get her stuff ready.

"Me too." Cameron whispered to the empty room, "me too."

In the early hours of the next morning, the three of them arrived separately at the SGC. Cameron went straight into his lab, whilst Kara went to the control room to download the programme Cameron had wrote which would effectively render the gate useless and Daniel set up the small devices around the gate room- these devices would create a powerful force field around them stopping anyone from interfering.

The plan was very simple but its execution had to be perfect. Once the download was complete, Daniel would activate the force field and they would dial the gate. That was the easy part the hard part relied on Cameron's calculations to be right on the money. They would dial the gate address of a planet in the next star system; the planet was equidistant to a collapsing star and their sun. Cameron was able to calculate the exact time the star would collapse completely and the amount of energy it would release. According to his calculations if a wormhole passed at exactly three minutes after the energy was initially released it would force the wormhole to sling shot around their sun and back to Earth, the increase in solar flare activity would do the rest. That was why he had chosen that particular planet, it was in the path of the energy release but far enough away that there would just be enough power to push the wormhole towards the sun, the momentum and the slight gravitational pull would be just right.

Daniel watched from the doorway a million thoughts going through his head, the most prominent thought was how much he was going to miss them and how he wished he would remember their faces when all this was over, but in his heart, he knew it wasn't possible. When they had first come to him with the idea he had been dead against it, so many things could go wrong, but their persistence wore him down. He agreed to help them not to alleviate his own guilt or to exercise his demons but because they convinced him that this was their purpose their destiny, and as crazy as it sounded he believed them and so here he was.

"Cameron?"

Startled Cameron turned round, "Oh, hi."

"Finished?"

"Yeah…finished." Cameron stood up and pocketed the cloak and phase shifting technology that he had disguised as watches.

They walked in silence towards the gate room.

Kara looked at her watch they were right on schedule, fingers crossed they wouldn't encounter any problems.

"Dr Mitchell?"

Kara recognized the voice as she turned around, "General Summers, Sir I thought I'd get an early start on the universal translator programme, and you know iron out some of the glitches."

General Summers looked at her for a few seconds before speaking, "You know you're as bad as your brother when it comes to this place. I want you to take some time off after the next mission, you both work too hard. Carry on."

Saying that he left to attend his meeting at the White House.

Sighing with relief Kara chuckled nervously.

"What's so funny?" Cameron asked as he approached her.

"Nothing, for a second there I thought the General was regarding me with suspicion." Smiling at the look on his face she said, "Don't worry, he thinks we work too hard and is ordering us to take a vacation."

The next few minutes were spent double and triple checking everything. Once all the checks were done, both brother and sister stood up straight and faced one another.

"This is it."

They regarded each other not knowing what to say, it was Daniel who broke the silence.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked one last time.

Kara nodded tearfully as she reached over and hugged him tightly. His own tears sparkled in his eyes as he returned her embrace and kissed her affectionately on the forehead.

"No goodbyes just see you later." Kara said as she stepped aside to allow her brother to say his own farewell.

Daniel grabbed him in a bear hug his voice failing him; Cameron squeezed his shoulder in understanding.

As they walked down the stairs, Daniel spoke the last words he would ever say to them, "Safe journey, I'll never forget…"

Kara ran to him and hugged him one more time, "Yes you will." She whispered.

Daniel waited until they entered the gate room and the blast doors closed behind them. He pulled out the small device from his pocket and activated the force field. He watched as Cameron handed his sister the watch. Sitting on the chair Daniel took a deep breathe and set the computer to dial the gate. Saxons blared at the gate activation, he could hear security teams trying to force their way in but the force field kept them at bay. Cameron had deliberately designed it to rotate in frequency every half second. He helplessly watched as they stepped through the gate. He knew he would never see them again. He would remember these two extraordinary people for as long as he could, before the changes rippled through to the present and the memories would be taken away from him, he remembered them as two people -who spent their whole lives working towards this one moment- if they were successful they would write themselves out of existence, the ultimate sacrifice.

The universe was a strange place- it took away a man, only to grace them with his children and then took them away only to give him back.

A second before Cameron and Kara stepped through the gate they activated their cloak and phase shift device.

They walked cautiously down the ramp as security teams aimed weapons in their direction.

"Did it work?" Kara asked.

"One way to find out!"

There was confusion in the gate room, the security teams couldn't see anything and looked up to the control room for further orders.

Ignoring the hub around them, they made their way to the control room. They knew where they were they just needed to know when. Approaching the officer sat in front of the computer, they tried to read the date and time over his shoulder.

As soon as Cameron saw the date, he let out a triumphant shout.

"What?!"

Instead of replying he hugged her with obvious joy, "We did it Kara, we did it!"

"I want to know what the hell is going on, the gate didn't just dial on it's own. Walter run a complete system diagnostic."

"Yes Sir!"

"Come on lets go."

They headed straight for Daniels lab. First thing was first; they had to find his version of the translation. Kara deactivated her clock as she searched for the scrolls. Cameron remained clocked and on watch outside the room. He had done his bit it was now up to Kara.

Kara searched the room methodically, Daniel had tried to recall where he had kept the documents but because it had been so long, he couldn't quite remember. She finally came across them in a locked glass cabinet in the far corner of the room. She reached for the keys hidden by the book case and opened the cabinet. She was careful not to disturb anything, even though his desk had always been a mess, Daniel had claimed that it was organised chaos; he knew exactly where everything was. She looked at the clock on the wall, it would take her approximately a half hour to write the real translation down from scratch, she had the entire thing memorised. She'd even spent many months practicing his handwriting so that the old Daniel Jackson wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Cameron waited patiently, they'd actually done it, and it was still hard to believe that the dream was now very much a reality. He wondered how he would feel if he came face to face with his parents. The anticipation was both nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time.

Voices coming from the adjacent corridor put him on full alert. He waited to see if they turned the corner, but began to relax when they drifted away.

Exactly half an hour later Kara put the pen down, looked over the translation one more time and with great care locked everything away in it's rightful place, making a quick sweep of the room, she switched her cloak back on, satisfied.

"That's it.," she said to her brother, "All done."

"Good, now we just wait. According to the mission reports they left for PX6-701tomorrow morning, so the briefing should take place at some point today and…"

"…they'll never get there."

"Well there's nothing else to do now," Cameron looked at his sister and gave her a little nudge, "Do you want to go and find mom and dad."

"Yeah, I want to see them together before…you know…"

Together they left in search of the parents they had made this sacrifice for.

_Daniel Jackson whistled as he walked down the corridor, he had been burning the candle from both ends with this translation for the past few days, another paragraph and it would be complete and hopefully now they could get rid of the Ori for good. Setting his coffee mug on the coaster on his desk, he pulled the keys off the hook from beside the bookcase and opened the glass cabinet pulling out the scrolls and his unfinished translation._

"_What in the world…!" Daniel spoke dumbfounded and puzzled. In his hand, he was holding the translation, it was in his handwriting but he didn't remember writing these words. He looked around his office to make sure nothing had been disturbed and nothing was, he couldn't understand it. He pulled the scrolls out from their casing and set them aside next to the translation, going over it and using his books as reference, he double-checked the translation. The translation was spot on, however he was a hundred percent sure that he had written something else, which he now realised, was incorrect. He just couldn't recall making the changes, unless he did…and couldn't remember doing so. It was baffling to say the least but since he was the only one on the base who stood a chance of deciphering the dialect, it must have been him, there was no other explanation. _

Cameron and Kara decided to separate and explore this version of the SGC. Cameron headed straight for the lab that had been his mothers. He stopped outside the door too nervous to go in. When he did finally go in, he found the lab to be empty. Disappointed, though he was, he decided to have a look at what she was working on. Her laptop lay on top of the desk with stacks of files, data from her latest project. So engrossed in his findings he was that he failed to notice the presence of someone else in the room. Noticing movement from the corner of his eye, Cameron tensed up and looked down at the watch, relief poured through him as he realized that his cloak was still on. He turned round only to come face to face with his father.

Unable to move he just stared.

"Dad?"

God he was alive, he was standing here right in front of him and he couldn't hear him.

"Dad, it's me Cameron."

"_Come on Sam where are you?" Oblivious to the other presence in the room Cameron Mitchell sat waiting._

Activating the phase shifting side of the device and decloaking, Cameron approached his father. Heart light with happiness, sitting down next to him he watched as he rustled the papers on the desk and attempted to read them. He found himself laughing aloud at the confusion on his face, his mom had been right.

"You know dad, I've gone over it a thousand times in my head, I've dreamed of this moment for so long and here we are and I've no idea what to say. I wish you could see me. I want you to know why we did this… mom, she, was never the same since you died, she missed you every single day right up until she died. She loved you so much…she needed you…and I love my mom so much…it hurt like you wouldn't believe watching her try to move on but she never did. That's why we're doing what we're doing, everything is for mom. It feels so strange talking to you whilst you're stood in front of me; I've had so many conversations with your photographs as I was growing up…" Cameron wiped the stray tears that had managed to escape from his eyes, his voice thick with emotion.

"Cam I just found…" Kara interrupted but stopped short when she saw whom her brother was talking to.

"Dad?"

Cameron was unable to speak.

"Oh my God, dad…" Kara leaned against her brother for support as she too stared at the man in front of her.

"I can't believe it's him," Looking at both of them in turn she said, "You look just like him Cam, it's unbelievable…"

It was at that moment that their mom walked into the lab and closed the door behind her.

"_Waited long?" Sam asked._

"_A life time baby but you're worth it!"_

"_Give over Cam!" _

"_Ow!" Cameron rubbed the spot where Sam had landed a playful punch. "Come here." Reaching out for her hand, he pulled her into his arms._

_Holding her close to him in a loose embrace, he kissed her lightly on the lips, "I missed you this morning."_

"_I know, I'm sorry but I promised Dr Fielding that I'd go over some data with him from the glider test, you know the prototype." She returned kiss._

"_Hmmm…" He looked at her intently before cupping her cheek and leaned in for a deeper and more thorough kiss. "I love you."_

"_I love you too, always."_

_That afternoon Sam, Cam, Daniel, Vala, Teal'c and General Landry sat in the briefing room discussing the scrolls, unaware of their audience._

_Passing a copy of the translation around to each member of the team, Daniel explained that the scrolls indicated that they were the first in a set of four. Each scroll would lead them to four different planets where they would find parts of a disassembled weapon along with instructions on its assembly. The first set of scrolls told of the many dangers they would come across and that only the brave, the true and the worthy would have any hope of getting their hands on the weapon. It warned that the weapon was protected and that any deception would be met with dire consequences. The journey would be long and treacherous but the possibility of ridding the galaxy of such a threat was in itself a reward._

_General Landry authorised the mission without hesitation, time was not on their side and they were losing the war, his people had made many sacrifices, faced untold danger but now it was time to take the war to the Ori, it was now or never. He didn't like they idea of being pushed into a corner but God willing they would come out fighting and win._

_The mission was scheduled for 0900 the next morning. They went about their duties as normal ignorant of the fact that they had now sealed the fate of the offspring of one Mitchell and one Carter, for they were conceived on PX6-701._

_At 0900, they stood at the base of the ramp facing the active stargate, ready to step through it and hopefully bring salvation to the worlds already under the power of their most formidable enemy to date._

"_SG1 you have a go!"_

"_You heard him folks, lets save the universe." Cameron Mitchell said as he took the first step, weapons at the ready._

_At the precise moment, they entered the event horizon, Cameron and Kara with their arms wrapped around each other shimmered out of existence, their hearts joyous and elated. _


End file.
